Lockdown inconsistencies warrant protocol changes

By Grace Cueter & Grace Rossman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & MANAGING EDITOR PHOTO | Grace Rossman

When the lockdown alarm suddenly blared through classrooms and hallways of North on Dec. 19, students and staff alike were filled with fear. Some found it difficult to adapt to a situation that was not a drill, including English teacher Paul Golm whose first thought was “Is this the real thing?”

Although it was later deemed that the lockdown occurred due to a false active shooter threat, in the moment, Golm immediately rushed to the door to protect his students from any possible threat.

“I remembered my training and moved to act swiftly,” Golm said. “I immediately checked if my classroom door was locked and deployed nylon cordage to ensure the door stayed shut.”

Less than one minute after the threat was received, officers from the Grosse Pointe Shores Police Department, located 0.8 miles away from North, arrived at the school and began to secure the building. They were followed by GPW Detective Miles Adams and his team from the Grosse Pointe Woods Police Department.

“I was working with another officer securing the gymnasium and the pool side of the building, and once the school was secure, we met together and discussed lifting the lockdown,” Adams said. “I investigated who made the threat while the other officers were determining how to get everybody back to normal status.”

In light of an increase of school shootings in recent years, especially the close-to-home Oxford High School shooting in 2021, the lockdown was a terrifying 30 minutes. From 12:35 p.m. to 1:05 p.m. students were unaware of what potential dangers were in the building and were left to think the worst as “lockdown, lockdown” was repeated over the PA.

The typical protocols practiced in lockdown drills translated to most classrooms, but because the lockdown occurred during late lunch, students in certain areas of the school were unsure of where to seek safety, as that information was not previously communicated directly to students. A group of students in the lunchroom were ushered into the North Store, where lockdown protocols were not followed, according to sophomore Alexandria Noyd.

“It was chaotic in there,” Noyd said. “There was music playing, people were playing video games and the lights were on. People were not sitting down like I would usually do for a lockdown.”

Typically during lockdowns, teachers and students are instructed to turn off the lights and move away from doors and windows. Additionally, in classrooms on the first floor, the blinds are to be shut. This protocol has been practiced throughout the school year, however, being in a state of uncertainty as to whether or not the situation was a drill elevated the fear many students felt, including senior Rita Shemmai.

“My experience was very nerve wracking,” Shemmai said. “Not knowing what was going on added to the stress. I texted my friends and family to let them know what was going on, even though the only information I had was [based on] assumptions.”

Directly following the lockdown, parents were notified and students were released at 1:45 p.m. for the remainder of the school day. Shemmai appreciates how the situation was handled, but believes the school can still better equip for the future.

“I believe that we could take lockdown drills more seriously,” Shemmai said. “Teachers should shut the blinds and lights off during the drill, so that it translates to a real life scenario. I also noticed that other teachers barricaded their doors, so I believe that should be enforced [during a lockdown] too.”

After the source of the threat had been identified and the lockdown had been lifted, Adams, police officers and members of North Faculty met to discuss the lockdown and changes that were important to implement to increase safety at the school. Adams notes that police training has expanded, and students can expect to see him operating in the building in the near future.

“We have training and we train for active shooters,” Adams said. “We are equipped with better equipment to deal with these types of situations as well. Hopefully soon I will be able to have an office in the building, so random days throughout the week I'll be here working. That'll give a little bit more security from a law enforcement officer.”

Although the event caused distress, the inconsistencies present throughout the lockdown served as a lesson to Assistant Principal Geoffrey Young, who plans on improving training and protocols in the event of future lockdowns.

“I think for the next [lockdown] drill, we will focus the training to emphasize safe shelter locations for students, especially when students are in the cafeteria and parking lot,” Young said. “We want to use school messaging systems to communicate with students during a crisis, as soon as we possibly can. I also want to create an easy ‘what to do’ sheet for students that we refer to frequently during the year, so that the information is constantly on students' minds.”

Even with a detailed plan in place, every situation may differ, which is why Adams believes that safety starts with the students, who must prioritize transparency over convenience.

“We have to do the best we can to prepare students,” Adams said “If they hear something they should speak up. As long as we continue to teach our kids to speak up and not worry about consequences, I think we can get ahead of the issue.”